May Live Period Recap: New Jersey's Biggest Stock Risers

The initial live period of the 2026 recruiting calendar generated plenty of excitement, as several New Jersey prospects continued to elevate their profiles and distinguish themselves within their respective classes. At the same time, a number of emerging talents bursted onto the scene and quickly made an impact. With the May live period now fully in the rearview mirror, it's a good time to highlight some prospects who delivered impressive showings throughout last month and strengthened their stocks.    Having taken significant strides in his development since the start of the spring while playing up an age group on 17U and blossoming into one of the most intimidating and impactful defensive anchors on the EYBL circuit, [player_tooltip player_id='2909264' first='Joel' last='Patrick'] has continued to reaffirm his reputation as a dominant interior paint presence, showing stronger and more consistent flashes of his ability to control games on the defensive end. Pairing natural defensive instincts and elite physical tools with a relentless and nonstop motor, Patrick has emerged as a legitimate defensive anchor controlling the paint— providing elite rim protection using his length, timely anticipation, and disciplined technique to deter shot attempts around the basket while simultaneously aggressively attacking the glass with a combination of strength and explosiveness to win battles on the boards and be extremely valuable in the rebounding department.   On the heels of a pair of impressive pair of weekends during EYBL's last two sessions, Patrick has earned offers from West Virginia and Wake Forest. With a handful of HM's beginning to show interest, Patrick's recruitment could be on a national ascension in the coming months.     After building genuine momentum over the past several weeks with a string of strong performances heading into the May live period, [player_tooltip player_id='2504912' first='Chace' last='Redler'] has emerged as one of the hottest players in New Jersey this spring, and last monthh's live period only reinforced that notion. Redler excelled as a dynamic shot maker, combining versatility with impressive efficiency while also conintuing to reveal additional dimensions to his offensive game. Beginning to prove to be more than just a spot up C+S threat, Redler proved equally effective as a movement shooter, consistently knocking down threes while creating just enough separation off the dribble to get his shot off—even from well beyond the arc. Redler also continued to display confidence and polish as a self creator, generating smooth mid range pull ups, attacking driving lanes with purpose, and pushing the tempo in transition, where he finished creatively around the basket.   Coming off a standout live period during MADE's DMV Live, Redler has seen his recruitment begin to take off— earning his first pair of D1 offers from both Marist and Manhattan.     In the midst of making a strong case as one of the nation's premier playmaking point guards, four-star floor general [player_tooltip player_id='2344521' first='Micah' last='Gordon'] has continued to enjoy an outstanding start to the spring AAU season. Fully entrusted with the running the show offensively, Gordon has consistently had his fingerprints all over games for this 17U PSA Cardinals group, operating with confidence and control while scoring efficiently from all three levels. Gordon's natural instincts, creativity off the bounce, and advanced offensive polish have consistently made him a difficult matchup to cover. Equally impactful as a facilitator, Gordon has displayed excellent court vision and a natural feel for distributing the ball, elevating the players around him and routinely creating quality scoring opportunities for his teammates.   Coming off a standout weekend during EYBL's second session in Memphis, TN earlier last month during the May live period, Gordon received offers from the likes of Creighton, Northwestern, and Virginia Tech.     Using his powerful build and commanding physical presence, [player_tooltip player_id='2470853' first='Kamsi' last='Awaka'] has developed into a highly imposing interior player who consistently creates space with his strength and sturdy frame. He leverages his physical tools to make an impact on both ends of the floor. Offensively, Awaka thrives around the basket, showing comfort posting up, finishing through contact, and scoring efficiently as a roll man in PnR situations. His relentless work on the offensive boards also helps generate valuable second chance opportunities. Defensively, his toughness, rebounding ability, and shot blocking instincts enable him to protect the paint effectively, using his timing and anticipation to contest and alter opposing shots.   Coming off an impressive start to the spring and continuing that momentum into last month's live period, Awaka has further supplanted himself as a dominant two way force on the interior, having earned offers from HM programs like Georgia Tech, Arizona, and UConn.     Having taken legitimate strides in his development dating back to as far as the start of this past high school season, Cook's progression was reflected in his play, as he consistently displayed the traits of a physically dominant two way post presence. Cook showed improved balance and footwork on the interior— more reliable hands on entry passes from deep seals, and a greater ability to use his strength to establish deep position in the paint and finish efficiently around the rim. He's also made a noticeable impact on the offensive glass, creating valuable second chance scoring opportunities. Defensively, Cook utilized his strong frame and physicality to make his presence felt. He excells at carving out space, protecting the rim with authoritative shot blocking, and controlling the boards as a rebounder.   While there is still room for continued refinement and consistency, his substantial jump in production points to a player trending in the right direction. With his development trajectory on the rise, Cook is certainly a prospect worth monitoring closely heading into the remainder of the summer.     Having endured as hot an entire spring as anyone here in the area, new Blair Academy transfer Kamari Whyte has firmly established himself as natural and instinctive scorer who can easily find a rhythm offensively and score from multiple different levels on the floor. Consistently putting pressure on the defense in a multitude of ways, Whyte has proven to be more than capable of attacking downhill in half court offense and in transition opportunities and being a physical driver to get to the basket and finish through contact while also getting to his spots in the mid range area out of various different actions, creating separation off the bounce and knocking down tough pull up jumpers.   On the heels of a number of impressive showings during the first few 3SSB sessions, Whyte has received offers from programs such as Towson, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, and UAB.

The initial live period of the 2026 recruiting calendar generated plenty of excitement, as several New Jersey prospects continued to elevate their profiles and distinguish themselves within their respective classes. At the same time, a number of emerging talents bursted onto the scene and quickly made an impact. With the May live period now fully in the rearview mirror, it's a good time to highlight some prospects who delivered impressive showings throughout last month and strengthened their stocks.